(Adds company news items and futures)
Sept 5 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 .FTSE index is seen opening 15 points lower at 7,443 on Wednesday, according to financial bookmakers, with futures FFIc1 down 0.36 percent ahead of the cash market open.
* BERKELEY: UK housebuilder Berkeley Group Holdings BKGH.L said on Wednesday prices and demand had remained robust in London and the South East between May and August, adding it had bought five new sites in the period. GEM DIAMONDS: Gem Diamonds Ltd GEMD.L reported an 80 percent jump in first-half revenue on Wednesday as it recovered a record number of large, high-value diamonds and the average price per carat climbed. WILLIAM HILL: Betting company William Hill Plc WMH.L has agreed to pay $50 million in stock and a 20 percent stake in its U.S. business to form a 25-year sports betting partnership with U.S. casino operator Eldorado Resorts Inc ERI.O , the companies said on Wednesday, confirming an overnight media report. BHP: Global miner BHP BLT.L has agreed a $35.2 million deal for a 6.1 percent stake in SolGold PLC SOLG.L , giving it a share in the promising Cascabel copper-gold project in Ecuador after missing out in an earlier attempt. INDEPENDENT NEWS & MEDIA: Ireland's High Court on Tuesday approved an application by the state's corporate watchdog to appoint inspectors to investigate potentially unlawful conduct at Independent News & Media (INM) INME.I , the country's largest newspaper group. GOLD: Gold edged up on Wednesday, after slipping to a more than one-week low in the previous session, as the dollar eased despite concerns of an escalation in the trade conflict between the United States and China. OIL: Oil prices fell on Wednesday, partly reversing a strong jump from the previous day, as the impact of a tropical storm on U.S. Gulf coast production was not as strong as initially expected. The UK blue chip FTSE 100 .FTSE index closed down 0.62 percent at 7,457.86 points on Tuesday, amid growing trade war fears and as a drop among mining stocks and a fall in WPP (LON:WPP) shares weighed. For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on: cpurl://apps.cp./cms/?pageId=livemarkets
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